Cigarette case



s. HoLTzcLAw.

CIGARETTE CASE.

APPLlcAT|0N-F|LED MAY 10, 1920.

1,422,975. l PatentedJu1y'18,`1922.

INVENTOR.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY HOLTZCLAW, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

Application filed May 10,

To all fw hom t may concern Be it known that l, SYDNEY liloLTZoLAw a citizen of the United States, and resident of Kansas City, lVyandotte County, State of Kansas, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Cigarette Cases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pocket cigarette cases, and more especially to cigarette cases of that class having an opening in one sidey edge and means for feeding cigarettes one a time to a point opposite said opening, and means for projecting the cigarettes alined with the opening through the latter so that it may be grasped and extracted from the case. and my object is to produce a device of the character outlined having `a spring actuated feed bar for the cigarettes,

adapted-to be locked in retracted position while the case is being charged, and a bar to overlie the cigarette and engage apart of the case for guiding the feed bar as the same performs its feeding function, said overlying bar being adapted to prevent the cigarettes from being displaced in the case under the pressure of said feed bar when the cover of the case is opened, and to serve as a means of tripping the feed bar from engagement with the case so that it shall be ready to lperform its feeding function. Another object of the invention is to produce a cigarette case of the character described, which can be made and sold at low cost and which will operate efliciently and reliably.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed: and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a section taken lon the line I-l of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a plan view with the cover omitted except a small fragment thereof of its hinged end, and also showing the body of the case and a partition therein in section at said hinged end.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale, of the feed bar.

Figure 4 is a section taken on the dotted line IV-lV of Figure 2, but on an enlarged scale.

In the said drawing 1 indicates the body of a flat case adapted to be carried in ones Specification of Letters Patent.

CIGARETTE cAsE.

Patented July 1S, 1922.

1920. Serial No. 380,329.

and adapted when depressed to trip theV catch from engagement with the flange 6 to permit the cover to be opened, and to apply yielding pressure on the catch to hold it in locked position; a fiat spring 8 is arranged Linder plate 4 and bears against downturned lugs 9 stamped from said plate 4, the spring being secured at one end to one of the lugs to guard against displacement.

Rcarward of the plane of the hinged point 3, the rear portion of the body is provided v with` a partition 10, the forward side of the partition being flush with the rear edge of an opening 11 formed in one side of the ,body portion and of suicient size to permit a cigarette C, to slip endwise therethrough. The partition thus forms a guide for the cigarettes, but it also has another function hereinafter mentioned.

12 indicates a bar pivoted at 3 and interposed between the cover and the line of cigarettes C, and provided at its front end with a downturned arm 12FL terminating in a cam end 12b adapted for engagement with an opening l2c in plate 4, the arrangement being such that the bar 12 is held against disconnection from plate 4 but can` be readily disengaged therefrom by exerting an upward pull upon the bar.

At the opposite end of the partition l() from the opening 11, the former is provided with a longitudinal slot 10a, and fitting against the rear side of said partition is a slidable ejector 10b having an ejector linger 13 projecting through the said slot and adapted to overlapv the end of each cigarette at the opposite end thereof from the opening 11, as the cigarette is pressed against the partition 10. The slidable ejector has a rcarwardly projecting pin 14 engaging a slot 15 in the rear wall of the body 1 of the case, and is connected by a retractive spring 16 toy the ease tending to hold the ejector finger in the position shown by Figure 2, and in order to overcome the resistance of said spring and impart movement of the ejector finger toward opening 11 for the purpose of projecting the interposed cigarettes through said opening, a thumb piece 17 is secured to the pin 14: and bears against the rear end of portion 1, externally thereof. llVhen a cigarette is partly ejected from the case by the operation of said ejector, the latter is released and the spring 16 returns it to its original position so that when the operator grasps and pulls the partly ejected cigarette out of the case, and the next cigarette is pressen through the action of the feed bar against the partition, said ejector linger shall overlap the end of said cigarette at kthe opposite side of the case from opening 11 and f thus be ready to eject such cigarettes through said opening.

j The feed bar hereinbefore mentioned` and identified by reference character 18, extends transversely in the case and is adapted to impart movement sidewise to one or more cigarettes within the case in order to press them successively against the partition 10, this action of the feed bar being effected by means of a spring 19 bearing at its opposite ends against said feed bar and the lugs 9. rlhe spring is shown in retracted or coin pressed position, and is of such character that it is capable of sliding the feed bar toward the hinged end of the case until a cigarette engaged by said bar is arrested by contact with the partition 10.

The feed bar is provided with a rearward and upwardly projecting lug 20 adapted for engagement with the opening 12c of plate l to restrain said bar from movement while the cigarette case is being loaded or charged, during which time the bar 12 is of course raised. After the charging operation, the. bar 12 is lowered and pressed downwardly to cause its cam end 12b to snap into opening 12c and incidenilally trip the lug 2O of the feed bar from engagement with said plate et. As this occurs the spring 19 exerts v itsv pressure to cause the feed bar to press a cigarette or cigarettes in advance of it toward the partition 10.

To guide the feed bar against twisting ae tion and also from undue upward tilting action under the pressure of spring 19, the up' Y per wall of bar 18 which'is preferably hollowr for lightness, has stamped out of it upwardly projecting parallel arms21 for engaging opposite sides of the guide and retaining bar 12, the arms 21 terminating in inwardly projecting ends 22 to underlie the bar 12, the portions 22 tending to prevent the tilting movements of the feed bar above mentioned.

When the case is loaded with one or more cigarettes, the cigarette or the foremost one is held pressed by the bar 18`against partition 10 as above explained, so that such cigarettes can be ejected by proper sliding action of the linger 13 effected by applying endwise pressure on thumb piece 17, as herc- -inbefore explained.

Pressure on thumb piece trips the catch and permits the cover to be opened at any time, and should the case contain cigarettes the bar 12 will guard against their ejection accidentally or by pressure of spring 19, it being obvious that the pressure of the spring on thefeed bar would result in bulging and dislodging the line of cigare tes, particularly when the case was well charged, if the bar 12 or its equivalent was not employed to guard against such action. By the use of said bar therefore it is obvious that the case can be opened at anyV time without danger of dislodgment of the cigarettes.

From the above description it will be apparent that the case can be easily and quickly charged with cigarettes and that while being so charged, the engagement of the leg 2O with the opening of the plate i will relieve the operator of the necessity of holding the feed bar in retracted position, and that as soon as bar 12 is swung down to position. it frees the feed bar for action and is itself interlocked with said plate 4. rlhe other operations of the parts are common in this class of appliance and need no recapitulation herein. lt is obvious that the invention is susceptible of change in minor particulars without departing from the principle of construction involved or the scope of the appended claims.

ll claim:

1. A cigarette case comprising a body portion having an inwardly projecting plate at its front edge'provided with an opening, a transverse uiding partition near its rear end and a side opening in a plane forward of said partition, a cover hinged to the bod portion, latch mechanism to hold the cover closed, a transverse feed bar within the case, provided with lug for engaging the opening of said inwardly projecting plate, a springtending to impart movement to said feed bar towards the said partition, when said lug is not engaged with the opening of said plate, a bar hinged at the rear end of the body portion and adapted to lie within the case above a line of cigarettes therein to hold the latter against bulging upward within the case or out of the same, and terminating in an arm having a cam end for engaging in the said opening of said inwardly projecting` plates and for tripping` from engagement with said opening the said lug of the feeder bar, said feeder bar having upwardly projecting arms engaging the side edges of the bar overlying the line of cigarettes, manually operable means for feeding a cigarette lying against said partition, partly through said side opening of the case, and yielding means for returning said manually operable means to initial position.

2. In a cigarette case, a spring actuated feeder bar extending transversely and adapted to apply pressure against a cigarette Within the ease to impart movement in a Sidewise direction thereto, and provided with upwardly projecting guidearms, and a guide bar lying within the case above the cigarettes therein and between said guide arms oi the feeder bar; said feeder bar having a lug to engage an opening in a part of the oase, and the other bar having an arm to trip the feeder bar arm from engagement with said opening in the ease, said arms of the feeder bar having parts underlying the other bar to prevent upward movement of the feeder bar beyond a predetermined plane.

3. ln a cigarette oase2 a body portion hav ing an inwardly projecting plate at its front edge provided with a pair of downturned lugs, a latch projecting up through said plate7 a fiat spring bearing against said lugs and said latch, and a hinged cover having an inwardly projecting flange at its 'free edge for engagei'i'ient with said latch.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

SIDNEY HOLTZCLAW. 

